Carro is a typical Ligurian unspoiled hilltop medieval borough, with less then 200 permanent residents, mostly natives and friendly.
The place has been “discovered” by the Marquis Staglieno in the early nineties of last century. He had remembered having come here, as a young boy, with his late father for a wild boar shooting party and fancied to do some kind of a sentimental journey in the past. Most of times one is disappointed by reality versus dreams of the past, but for once it did not work so and he fell in love with the place, bought and restyled an old house with a small enwalled garden in order to be able to spend there several months. Following his example, many friends of his and of his wife Monica have since been buying and remodeling old buildings, large or small.
The village is very quiet: there is only one grocery, one coffee bar, one pizzeria. There are supermarkets in the valley, three winding miles away, and also horse riding opportunities
The landscape is quite wild: walnuts and oaks are home to all kinds of game including deer, hare, fox, wild boar, not to mention a variety of birds. Sometimes in autumn and spring time sparse fogs among the trees and the lesser valleys form an eery scenery reminiscent of japanese old prints.
Starting mid July to mid August the Paganini Festival Of Carro takes place, programming chamber music concerts performed by first class ensembles.including Uto Ughi, the violinist, the Berliner ensemble and I Quartetti della Scala di Milano. The Festival was first invented by the Marquess Staglieno twelve years ago and has now many supporter including the presidency of the Republic the bank Carige, the Isagro society of chemicals and the Chamber of Commerce of La Spezia. It also is the high point of social activity, that is, cocktail and dinner parties in the sophisicated renovated mansions.
In short, Carro is a wonderful place for nice and cultivated people to relax, to wander in the woods, to swim in the occasional natural pools of the Vara river. No noises, no confusion, except perhaps some barking dog. And, please no backpackers or the likes.
One might perhaps be interested about “La Paganina's” name: actually this small townhouse had belonged to the famous early nineteenth century violinist Nicolò Paganini's grand parents, and the place was in shocking conditions when the Duke Carlo Canevaro of Zoagli bought it in the late nineties of last century.
A throughout transformation was needed; only the typical lavagna stairs, so picturesque, have remained as they were everything else has been changed following architect Carlo Jachino's project. The idea was to make it a gentleman's house, looking warm and timeless; it did work.
There is
a legend about Napoleon having secretely left Isola d'Elba for a couple of days, in order to meet incognito his sister, the Princess of Lucca who, herself incognito, had a rendez-vous with her
lover, Nicolò Paganini, in this very house.
A short list of interesting towns and cities to visit, if one is interested in art and history: first of all Genoa with her princely palaces and extraordinary museums followed by Lucca, Sarzana, Pontremoli, Portovenere, Lerici and Tellaro. The last three towns are along the coast and, of course, one should avoid going there in foul weather.
Have a jolly good time.
